While the data provided by a Google Trends analysis is starkly different from the scientific approach used by pollsters, it is nonetheless telling of public interest. Further, large percentage of Occupy protesters are from the digital age generation, and are quite likely to use Google to research the movement.

Google's own description of how its Trends feature works is described as follows:

Google Trends analyzes a portion of Google web searches to compute how many searches have been done for the terms you enter, relative to the total number of searches done on Google over time. We then show you a graph with the results -- our Search Volume Index graph.

And while Google admits that the data is not scientific and subject to inaccuracies, it also suggests that it is a useful tool for matters as serious as the tracking of the flu across the globe.